This is Texas. Bigger is better, right? This is Prosper, Texas. Home of the McMansion. Big, beautiful homes average more than 3500sf on great big lots. 3-car garages are pretty much the norm here. But, you can also find homes with more garage spaces. Attached garages and detached garages. All shapes and sizes. Some of them almost too nice to be given the label GARAGE. So, we agents start calling them GARAGE/WORKSHOP, MONSTER GARAGE, ART STUDIO, or PARTY BARN.
When you begin touring homes, you are hopefully 1. Represented by a local real estate agent, and 2. Well versed in your home search criteria. You know - that list of requirements that must be in your next home, and that additional list of amenities that would be 'nice to have', but are not required. Be sure to add the words 'or more' to your wish list when it comes to garage spaces if you want to view homes that have more than a 3-car garage. Otherwise, the agent may cut your search off without including homes that you might really like to know were available.
Agents can be creatures of habit, like everyone else. There is a certain routine with which we go about our job. Interviewing buyers, however, there is no requirement to search above and beyond the criteria established at our first meeting with a new buyer client. We can very easily just run the search and show the homes that fit their wish list exactly. Many of us take it a step further, but not all. If you ask for a 3-car garage, and forget to use the words 'or more', you run the risk of only seeing homes with 3-car garage, even though there are some with 4, 5, 6, or more that are currently in Active status in the MLS.
The last home I closed was for a home in Prosper with a 4-car garage - a 3-car attached garage and a one-car detached garage. As I was getting to know the client, the Wife told me all about how handy her Husband was around the house. And, he described multiple cars and recreational vehicles they currently owned that were being brought up from their current home and put into storage in DFW. So, I knew that having multiple garage spaces, and specifically more than 3, might be high on their search criteria. However, I had to establish just how important this amenity was going to be.
"What is the minimum number of garage spaces you'll consider when buying your next home?" In this case, the answer was three (3). "Why?" The reason given matters only to them.
"Are you willing to sacrifice on the finish-out of the home in order to buy a home with more garage spaces? And, if yes, then what items are you willing to sacrifice?" In this case, the answer was a resounding NO. They didn't want to sacrifice on the house at all, nor on their preferred lot size. They would, however, go up in price for additional space in the garage. They would actually save money in the long run, as a separate storage facility for all the family's toys would no longer be a monthly expense. They were very realistic in their home search, and we were able to find them a home that exceeded their expectations and required no sacrifice. What I learned about this family during the buyer interview was that it was in their plans to live in Prosper, Texas for a very long time. They had owned several homes already, they knew what they liked and disliked, and they didn't want to sacrifice on anything. They were putting down roots.
If what you'd really like is a home with enough room for three cars, a couple of motorcycles or personal watercraft vehicles, a riding lawn mower, and the kids outdoor toys - just say so. Don't expect the real estate agent to read your mind. And, don't assume in Prosper, TX that the maximum number of garage spaces you can have is three. If you get one of those agents who just sticks rigidly to the criteria so they only have to show you a few homes, you'll run the risk of missing the right house. In Prosper, Texas, you can have that 4th, 5th, 6th garage space - 'or more'.
Be sure to check out my listings with 3 or more garage spaces at http://www.visualtour.com/inventory.asp?u=92791
Have a blessed day.
Ronda
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